In a race where the Fords demonstrated their speed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney emerged as the best, marking the start of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Blaney, Cup champion in 2003, led 116 laps with his number 12 Mustang, including the last 39, but had to fend off the relentless Josh Berry, who got within a few meters before going off a turn. Blaney secured the victory by 0.937 seconds on Sunday, earning his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career.
Blaney, who is seeking to reach the season finale for the third consecutive year, became the first driver to secure a spot in the third round of the playoffs.“Those were probably the 20 hardest laps I’ve driven,” said the Team Penske driver. “I was trying to hold my position and pull away a little from Josh, then he really started coming. I had to push to the max to keep him at bay, trying new lanes. It was good, clean racing. I appreciate Josh for not punting me when he could have.”
Ryan Blaney
“It was a really incredible day,” Berry said. “Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All of our cars were really strong, and Ryan did a great job there. Honestly, I was surprised I was able to hold him off at the end.”
Josh BerryThe Fords backed up their impressive performance in Saturday’s qualifying, where Penske star Joey Logano secured pole position, completing a top-three sweep alongside Blaney and Berry. This trio led 273 of the 301 laps on Sunday. William Byron, was the highest-finishing Chevrolet, finishing in third place.“It was a good day overall,” said Byron, who is the highest-ranked driver behind Blaney in the playoff standings, with two races remaining in the second round. “The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were on another level.”
William ByronLogano finished fourth after leading 147 laps in the No. 22 Ford. Logano, a native of Middletown, Connecticut, started from the pole for the first time at New Hampshire, which he considers his home track.“[Blaney] was incredibly fast in practice, and he showed it again in the race,” Logano said. “Obviously, we got a lot of points today, so we did what we had to do, but I’d rather win. That’s just the greed in me, especially when it’s at home.”
Joey LoganoAfter qualifying in 27th place, last among the 12 playoff drivers, Chase Elliott achieved a fifth-place finish. Christopher Bell was sixth as the highest-finishing Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, which remained undefeated in the first round of the playoffs. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished seventh and ninth respectively, with playoff drivers occupying eight of the top ten positions on the 1.058-mile oval.Conflict between teammates
The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110 when Denny Hamlin shoved teammate Ty Gibbs into the Turn 2 wall, as they were competing for 11th place. Gibbs, the only JGR driver who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, seemed to be hindering the progress of his teammates Hamlin and Christopher Bell when the incident occurred.“Does Ty know we’re racing for a championship?” Hamlin said on the radio to his team shortly before they made contact. “What the (expletive) is he doing?”
Denny HamlinAfter the crash, Hamlin questioned whether the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs was receiving preferential treatment. “Are they afraid to talk to him? That’s what I feel,” Hamlin said over the radio to his team. “They’re just afraid of him.” Ty Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced to enter the garage due to the damage to his Camry. He finished in 34th place and refused to address the incident nor what Hamlin said when directly asked about both. “It’s unfortunate, but I’m excited to race next week and I’m looking forward to it,” said Gibbs, the 2022 Xfinity Series champion, who remains winless after 117 Cup series races. After finishing in 12th place, Hamlin had a post-race conversation with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s competition director, Chris Gabehart, before speaking with the media.“It’s very unfortunate that they spun him there and obviously the contact came from us,” Hamlin said. “I have no comment other than that. We’ll sort it out and everything, but we’ll see how it goes. But, honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.”
Denny HamlinAfter dominating the first round with three consecutive wins, Joe Gibbs Racing surprisingly faltered in the first stage at New Hampshire, where the team had won the last three Cup races and six consecutive stages. The team failed to score any points in the first stage on Sunday, as Hamlin, Bell, and Chase Briscoe finished outside the top 10 in the 70-lap segment. The second race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
